


Just A Little Crush

by artificialalexandria



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-07 19:16:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19215808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artificialalexandria/pseuds/artificialalexandria
Summary: Adore Delano has had a crush on Vanessa Vanjie Mateo for a while. The perfect opportunity arises for her to finally act on it.





	1. Drunk Confessions

Adore sat down at the vanity in her bedroom to get ready for her gig. She had been debating whether or not to take the night off, but she was afraid of disappointing the fans. As she grabbed her eyeshadow palette, her phone dinged.

**Miss Vanjie** :  _ Hey ho. I’m back in town for a few days so I thought I’d come see your gig tonight _

Adore’s heart jumped. She’d had a little crush on Vanessa Vanjie Mateo for a while, which started back when Vanjie was eliminated on the first episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10.

**A:** _Yay! Can’t wait to see you boo!_

They hadn’t seen each other in months. Vanjie had been busy traveling the world and performing almost every night. Everyone knew she was one of the most popular Drag Race queens at the moment, but rumor has it that she was working so much as an attempt to escape the feelings she had for her ex, fellow season 11 queen Brooke Lynn Hytes.

Adore squealed excitedly as she opened Spotify and turned on the playlist she’d created to hype her up as she got ready for shows. She watched the clock carefully as she put her makeup on.  _ Can't be late _ , Adore reminded herself. She had a meet and greet as soon as the doors opened at the venue.

~~~

Adore arrived at the venue 5 minutes before time for the doors to open and was immediately swept away by security to the meet and greet area. She felt excited as she waited for the fans to pour in. She loved meeting them just as much as they loved meeting her.

The doors were opened and the meet and greet line started to form. The venue staff carefully lined everyone up and gave them the rules: One photo taken by the staff, 30 seconds to say hello, then move along. Adore didn't particularly like the rules but she had to remind herself at every show that they made the meet and greet run smoothly. Adore greeted each of her fans with genuine happiness, making sure to complement each one on something specific. It was always her goal to make sure each of her fans left feeling loved.

When the meet and greet was over, Adore headed backstage to the dressing room. She said hello to all of the local queens, including some she knew from living in LA. She enjoyed going out to watch local shows and she'd seen a few of these queens perform before.

Adore performed a few of her own songs for her numbers. Everything went great. She nearly forgot about Vanjie until she realized she hadn't seen her in the crowd. Not that she'd been paying much attention, but it was still a bit disappointing. She sighed and wondered if she should text Vanjie to see if she had ever arrived. 

Back in the dressing room, Adore got out of drag and into the regular clothes she'd brought with her. Adore headed out of the dressing room and straight to the bar, which had become a familiar post-show routine for her over the years. After a few drinks, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her brain's first instinct was to punch whatever sleazy dude put his hands on her, but she stopped when she turned around and saw who it was. Standing in front of her was the person she'd been waiting to see all night, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo.

"Hey bitch," Vanjie flashed Adore her usual sexy smile, which Adore wasn't even sure Vanjie knew just how sexy it looked to the people around her. "Long time no see."

"Damn, Vanjie," Adore laughed. "You scared the shit out of me. If I’d just assumed you were some random guy, I probably would've hit you without even looking first."

Vanjie’s mouth flew open in surprise. "I get that. The fans can get pretty crazy, not that drunk guys in bars are any better. People try to follow me home and shit all the time."

Adore laughed again, followed by a sigh. "I hate it, but that's what we have to deal with, I guess. You know, being famous and all."

"Mhmm," Vanjie replied simply before taking a sip of her drink.

Adore was finding it difficult to push away the feelings she'd been having for Vanjie. She'd been carrying them around for a while, pretending like they didn't exist. It was easy when Vanjie wasn't around or on her mind. However, Vanjie was now standing right in front of her and Adore was drunk out of her mind.

"Vanjie," Adore called to the smaller queen.

"Yeah?" Vanjie cocked her head to the side.

"You know you're cute as fuck, right?" Adore blurted out. "I'd take you home any time."

Vanjie's foghorn laugh echoed throughout the room. "No you wouldn't. You're so drunk you're mixing me up with one of your other friends."

"No I'm not!" Adore protested. "I'm being serious, Vanjie. I've been crushing on you forever, man."

"You gonna have to prove that shit," Vanjie laughed. "Cause I don't believe it for a second."

Adore stood up and closed the distance between them. She leaned down and pressed her lips against Vanjie's. Adore's heart started racing. She couldn't believe she was actually making a move on the queen she'd had a crush on for so long.

"Alright, I'll accept that as proof," Vanjie smiled as they pulled away.

"Excuse me if I'm being too blunt," Adore said confidently. "But I really wanna take you home with me."

Vanjie's phone buzzed and her smile faded as she looked at it. "Um… maybe some other time."

Before Adore could respond, the tall blonde Canadian, known in drag as Brooke Lynn Hytes, approached them.  _ What in the hell is Brooke even doing in Los Angeles,  _ Adore asked herself. She was beyond annoyed. She'd almost had sexy little Vanjie in her bed, but Vanjie's ex had appeared just in time to steal her away.

"Well, I'll see you later, Adore," Vanjie waved goodbye as Brooke grabbed her other hand and dragged her through the crowd. 

"Damn," Adore cursed under her breath as she returned to her seat at the bar. "That fucking sucks."

Adore knew she couldn't win against Brooke in a battle for Vanjie's affection, so she hadn't even tried. Those two were still very much in love and everyone knew it. Her phone buzzed and she looked down at it. Someone had posted a photo of their kiss and Vanjie of all people had retweeted it. Her mentions were blowing up of people tagging her in their replies.

Adore took a deep breath and asked for another drink. It seemed like she was going to have a long night ahead of her and she needed to drown her feelings.  _ Maybe some other time _ , she replayed Vanjie's words in her head. 

_ Maybe,  _ Adore thought to herself,  _ but not as long as Brooke Lynn Hytes is in her life _ .


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Shoutout to VanjieBanjie on Tumblr for requesting this become a multipart series. Also, thank you to Mistress for helping me figure out the plot of this chapter as well as betaing.

Adore woke up the next morning with one hell of a headache. She'd had way more to drink the night before than she should've and it was coming back to bite her. Her bedside alarm clock, which she never used for the alarm, read 12:36pm. Adore had managed to sleep until noon. She opened her phone and saw a text conversation between her and Vanjie that she didn't even remember.

**A:** _ I thought we had something going, but I guess not since you ran off with your ex _

**A:** _ Why is he even in town? Doesn't he live on the opposite side of the country? _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ Chill out. He has a gig here _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ You're not even mad at me. You're just drunk as hell.  _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ Text me in the morning when you're sober and we can talk about what happened. _

**A:** _ Fine _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ Goodnight _

Adore didn't remember those texts, but she remembered being mad at Vanjie and suddenly she remembered why. Adore had finally told Vanjie about her feelings for her, and just as Adore was about to take her to bed, Brooke Lynn Hytes had snatched her away. 

Adore leaned back in her bed and began typing out a text to Vanjie. Her phone fell out of her hand and smacked her in the face. A gasp of surprise erupted from her, followed by a groan of pain.

"I kinda deserved that after last night," Adore mumbled as she picked up her phone and continued typing.

**A:** _ I'm really sorry about the way I acted last night. _

A reply came through almost immediately.

**Miss Vanjie:** _ It's okay. I know you were just annoyed and very drunk. _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ Did you mean what you said about thinking I'm cute tho? _

Adore groaned. She'd finally told Vanjie about her crush only for Vanjie to think she was just drunk and looking for someone to hook up with. 

**A:** _ Yes, I did. You know what they say, drunk words are sober truths. _

**A:** _ Are you and Brooke Lynn still a thing? I know you're not dating anymore but like… are you sleeping together? _

Adore got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. She needed some water to help cure her hangover. Looking at her phone, she saw there had not yet been a reply from Vanjie. She took Vanessa's silence as her answer.  _ They are still sleeping together, _ Adore thought with a sigh. Just as she was about to abandon all hope, her phone dinged.

**Miss Vanjie:** _ Not regularly. And we're not only fucking each other. We've both been with other people since our breakup. _

**A:** _ What about last night? _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ No, we were just hanging out. I swear. _

**A:** _ Why did he drag you away so quickly? _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ He's jealous sometimes, I guess. Idk. _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ Anyway back to what I asked you earlier. So you really want to bang me? _

_ Or date you,  _ Adore thought as she typed out her next text.

**A:** _ Yeah dude _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ I think I can arrange that ;) _

_ Oh god.  _ She reread the text to make sure she wasn't imagining it. A shiver spread throughout her body as she thought about doing what she'd almost drunkenly done the night before.

**A:** _ When and where, baby _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ What are you doing right now? _

**A:** _ I'm still hung over from last night but fuck it. I'll text you my address _

**~~~**

They started making out as soon as Adore opened the door of her apartment. Adore picked up the smaller queen and carried her into her bedroom. She lay Vanjie down on the bed and climbed on top of her, leaning down to kiss her neck.

Adore wanted more than sex from Vanjie, but she didn't bother to mention it. She didn't want to scare Vanjie away. What she didn't know was that Vanjie had one main reason for being in her bed. She hadn't completely lied to Adore, but she hadn't told her the whole truth either. Vanjie said she and Brooke had slept with other people since their breakup, but it was really only Brooke who had. Vanjie had found out just how much sleeping around Brooke had been doing and was seeking revenge... in the form of fucking Adore Delano.

Vanjie flipped them over so she was on top. She kissed and bit at Adore’s neck, leaving more bruises than was necessary. Adore was vers but preferred being on top, and none of her fantasies involved her bottoming for Vanjie. She tried to take control, but Vanjie was stronger than she looked. Once Adore realized Vanjie wasn't going to back down, she stopped fighting it.

Adore focused all of her energy into the pleasure of the moment. She  _ liked _ that Vanjie was rough with her. Sex with Vanjie was even better than she imagined, so much sensation going on the whole time, Vanjie muttering things Adore couldn't understand, pressing Adore into the mattress as if she was fighting to keep her there, Vanjie’s intoxicating cologne. She was so overwhelmed with pleasure that she didn't even hear when Vanjie moaned Brooke's name instead of hers.

When it was over, Vanjie suddenly went from red-hot to ice cold. Adore wasn't sure what had gone wrong. She thought they were having a lot of fun. She must have done something… or not done something.

Adore became really concerned when Vanjie started crying. She didn't know what she could've done to make Vanjie this upset. Adore reached out to comfort her, but Vanjie pulled away,  completely getting out of bed.

"Vanjie, what's wrong?" Adore asked as Vanjie pulled her clothes on. 

"Just leave me alone," Vanjie snarled through tears. She quickly left the apartment and Adore listened as the front door slammed behind her. 

Adore was left alone with her thoughts. She was very confused. She didn't understand what had happened. One second she was being fucked by her crush, and the next Vanjie was crying and stormed out. She picked up her phone from her nightstand to send Vanjie a text.

**A:** _Are you okay?_

Adore didn't ask her all the things she wanted to. She didn't ask what she'd done wrong, why Vanjie was crying, and she certainly didn't ask where Vanjie went when she left her apartment. She began to wonder if Vanjie went to see Brooke after leaving her, but Adore didn't want confirmation of her fears.

**Miss Vanjie:** _ I'm sorry about everything. I shouldn't have come to see you. _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ It's not you that _ _ I'm upset with, so don't worry about that. This isn't going to change our friendship, right? _

Adore started to realize with a cold, sinking feeling that she'd been used. Vanjie must have been angry at Brooke and used Adore for revenge. Adore started to cry as the reality of the situation hit her like a bus.

**A:** _ No. Of course not. _

~~~

The next night, Adore was on her way to one of Vanjie's gigs. She had a gig in town and asked Adore to come perform to make up for running out on her. Adore was hesitant at first, but what happened between them hadn't changed her feelings for Vanjie. 

When she arrived at the bar, Adore was disappointed to find Brooke Lynn Hytes there as well, along with Nina West and Bianca Del Rio. Running to hug Bianca -- it had been a while since they’d last seen each other in person-- she wondered what Vanjie's thought process was in bringing everyone here. Her ex, her ex’s best friend, the queen she used for revenge sex and her best friend.  _ Does she not realize she's begging for trouble?  _ Adore asked herself.

"Well, this is about to get messy," Bianca said to Nina.

"I can't believe Vanjie was dumb enough to book them in the same show," Nina shook her head. 

Bianca laughed. "Bitch, if no one is crying by the end of the night, I'll be seriously surprised."

By the time Vanjie's number is over, she's a drunken emotional mess. Brooke was too busy flirting with the venue's gogo dancers before her number, and Nina was in the crowd watching, so Adore was left to take care of Vanjie alone. She rubbed Vanjie's back as she cried.

"If I got used for revenge sex," Bianca said as she walked over to the two of them. "I wouldn't be comforting the person I was used by."

"How do you know about it?" Adore turned to face Bianca. 

"Brooke and Vanjie got in a fight about it as soon as they got here," Bianca explained. "Nina and I got to hear all the dirty details."

"Fucking shit, Vanjie," Adore groaned. "Everyone knows what happened?"

"Sorry," Vanjie sniffled, wiping tears and taking another sip of her drink.

"Maybe you've had enough," Adore said, taking Vanjie's drink from her hand. "You just need to chill out."

"Adore, you've gotta go perform in a minute," Bianca reminded her.

Adore groaned. "Fuck. Can you watch Vanjie and make sure she doesn't drink anything else?"

"Do I look like a fucking babysitter to you?" Bianca crossed her arms.

"Please," Adore begged with her best pouty face.

"Fine," Bianca rolled her eyes. "You're gonna owe me for this. Especially if she throws up on me."

Adore got up and hugged Bianca tightly. "Thank you."

~~~

Adore came back to the dressing room after her performance to find her position as Vanjie's caretaker had been taken over by Brooke. She watched as Brooke held Vanjie and rubbed her back. Adore felt like she could never win with Vanjie. Any time Adore felt like she was making progress, Brooke always showed up to take her place. 

No longer needed sober, Adore went to the bar and took up her usual routine of drinking her feelings away. She was doing exactly what she told Vanjie not to do, but she didn't care anymore. All the wanted was to forget about her feelings.

"Didn't you tell me not to drink anything else?" Vanjie asked as Adore stumbled into the dressing room holding a glass of tequila.

"And what about it?" Adore rolled her eyes. "That was before I came back to find I'd been replaced by Brooke yet again!"

_ "Adore," _ Bianca grabbed her arm. "This is not a fight you want to have. I'm about to go perform, I can't babysit you right now."

Adore pulled her arm away from Bianca and stormed over to Vanjie and Brooke, her belly full of tequila and fury. "You don't get to play the victim after you fucked me and ran out without saying why. You don't get to  _ know _ I like you and use me like the fucking asshole you are then get pissed at someone else for doing the same thing to you. You're a bully and an asshole and a bitch and I hate you!"

"I'm not sure this is the time-" Brooke started.

"I left crying because I immediately felt bad about it, but you're fucking attacking me for it?" Vanjie interrupted.

“You can't call  _ her, _ " Adore pointed at Brooke "ice queen when at least you look at her face and you see she gives a shit when you’re hurting. You don’t care about me, you don’t love me, you’re not  _ sorry. _ It's no fucking wonder she only wants you for sex. It's the only thing you’re good at—“

Vanjie lunged at Adore and luckily Brooke was there to hold her back, otherwise, she would've hit Adore in the face.

"Nina!" Brooke called, hoping Nina would hear her from the hallway. She couldn't keep Adore and Vanjie from fighting each other on her own.

Just as Adore was about to throw herself at Vanjie, Nina came running in and grabbed her. They both tried to get away so they could fight, but neither of them were successful.

"What's going on?" Nina asked as she struggled to restrain Adore. "How did they end up trying to kill each other?"

"They're both drunk off their asses," Brooke explained. "And apparently they have some unresolved issues. There was yelling and now they're trying to fight."

"I leave for five minutes to make jokes for cash and I come back to a secret fighting ring," Bianca groaned as she walked back into the dressing room.

Brooke held Vanjie tightly as the smaller queen continued to struggle against her. "The claws came out right after you left. If I didn't call Nina in, they would've ripped each other apart."

"Alright, let's take these drunk bitches home," Bianca sighed. She grabbed Adore's arm and dragged her out of the venue. As soon as they were outside, Adore started sobbing.

Bianca pulled her into a hug. "I know you like Vanjie, but you have to accept that she's still in love with Brooke Lynn."

"That doesn't make it hurt any less." Adore cried into Bianca's chest.

"I know," Bianca sighed. "Let's get you home."

Bianca let go of Adore and wrapped her arm around Adore’s waist. She walked Adore back to her apartment and helped her up the stairs. She took Adore’s keys and opened the door for them. Once they were inside, she guided Adore to her bed and helped her get out of drag.

“Do you need me to stay with you tonight or are you going to be okay on your own?” Bianca asked as she tucked Adore into bed. 

“Please stay,” Adore begged sleepily. She could barely hold her eyes open.

“You’re lucky this mean old lady has a soft spot in her heart for you,” Bianca said as she got out of drag herself. “Otherwise I would’ve left you at the bar to figure shit out for yourself. I’m getting too old to be walking you home and tucking you into bed when you’re drunk.”

~~~

Nina and Brooke got a very drunk Vanjie out of drag and into her bed. She’d fought them the entire time, wanting to fight Adore rather than get some sleep. Nina was in the kitchen getting some water, leaving Brooke and Vanjie alone in the bedroom.

“Why did you sleep with Adore to try and hurt me?” Brooke asked softly as she sat on the edge of Vanjie’s bed. “Did you not expect her to be angry when she found out?”

“I was just really mad at you,” Vanjie sighed. “I hadn’t had sex with anyone else since our breakup, so I was fucking mad when I found out how  _ many _ people you’ve been fucking. I thought we were just being friends with benefits until we'd find the right time to get back together. I didn’t realize you actually were actually going to be sleeping with literally half the city. ”

“I know I’ve hurt you and I’m sorry for that,” Brooke placed her hand on Vanjie’s arm. “But you really hurt Adore and that’s not fair to her. She’s not the one who broke your heart, and Adore seems to like you a lot. Maybe she can give you all the things you know I can’t give you.”

“But I love you,” Vanjie’s lip quivered and a few tears ran down her cheeks. “I don’t want someone else.”

“I know, I know,” Brooke stroked Vanjie’s hair gently. “I love you too, but I know I can’t give you everything you deserve. If Adore cares about you and can give you what you need, I think you should at least give her a chance. You’re holding out on love because there’s some chance we’ll get back together in the future, but there’s no way we can predict if that’ll ever actually happen. You deserve to be happy in the meantime.”

“Of course we’re going to get back together.” Tears continued to flow down Vanjie’s cheeks. “We love each other and we’re gonna make it work. We just need time.”

“But what if we don’t get back together?” Brooke asked. “Are you just going to be sad and miss me forever?”

Vanjie moved one hand from under the blanket and rested it on Brooke’s thigh. “Of course I would. You’re the one, I know you are. I don’t want to love anyone else. We’re going to get back together and one day we’ll get married and have kids and--”

“Don’t do that to yourself,” Brooke’s heart broke as she watched the smaller queen cry. “You know I can’t promise you any of those things.”

Nina had been standing in the doorway for several minutes just listening to them talk. It made her really sad to see them this way. She knew Brooke just wanted the best for Vanjie, but she also felt bad for Vanjie, who was hanging on tight to any shred of hope that she and Brooke would ever get back together.

“Maybe we should stop having sex,” Brooke sighed. “It’s just making it harder for you to move on.”

“I don’t want to stop.” Sobs shook Vanjie’s body. “I love you.”

“I’m sorry,” Brooke sighed. “You should go to bed. We can talk about it more tomorrow.”

“Please don’t go,” Vanjie begged.

“I’m not leaving,” Brooke assured her. “I promise. You still need to sleep though. I’ll be in the living room with Nina if you need me.”

It was only then that Brooke noticed Nina standing in the doorway. She stood up and made her way over to where Nina was standing.

“I’m always so good at sleeping around without caring about anyone’s feelings,” Brooke sighed as they walked into the living room together. “Now here I am responsible for two broken hearts because I actually gave a shit about someone for once.” She rubbed her hands up and down her cheeks and nose. “I wish he’d just move on and stop counting on me to come back. I can’t guarantee that I will, but he takes me saying ‘maybe’ as a sure thing.”

“I know,” Nina reached out a hand and softly rubbed the back of Brooke’s neck. “If you’re meant to be together, love will find a way, but him holding onto every little hope isn’t healthy for either one of you. It’s just going to continue to cause the two of you and the people around you to get hurt.”

Brooke leaned down, resting her head in her hands. “I don’t know what else to do. He’s not even open to the possibility of moving on. Maybe once I cut him off from sex, he’ll start to see that he can’t just cling to me forever.”

“Even if he doesn’t, it’s a good start,” Nina said. “If you end up not being able to be friends at all because that’s what it takes to get him to move on, then so be it.” Brooke let out a stressed sigh at the suggestion of not even being regular friends with Vanjie. Nina shifted to face her more. “I know it’ll hurt for a while, but I also know you want what’s best for him.”

“I just hope it doesn’t come to that,” Brooke ran her fingers through her hair.

“I know,” Nina patted her back softly.


	3. Chapter 3

Adore woke up with another intense hangover. She turned her head to see Bianca laying beside her. She'd woken up beside Bianca many times before after getting blackout drunk, so she knew nothing sexual had happened. Bianca just wanted to make sure Adore was okay, so she'd always get her home and in bed safely and stay with her in case she needed anything.

"Good morning, sunshine," Bianca said quietly.

"What happened last night?" Adore asked. She remembered being upset with Vanjie and Brooke, but she couldn't remember anything that happened after.

"Well," Bianca laughed. "You got upset with Vanjie because Brooke had taken over for you when you got back from your number. Then, you got drunk off your ass and tried to fight Vanjie."

"I've got to stop drinking," Adore groaned, head pounding.

"I've heard you say that a million times and you still haven't stopped," Bianca sat up in bed. She stood up and walked to the kitchen.

Adore sighed, thinking of how things with Vanjie kept getting worse. What started out as an innocent crush turned into two heartbroken friends fighting over one of their exes. Feeling awful for fighting with Vanjie, she grabbed her phone.

**A:** _ I'm sorry. I wish I hadn't said all the things I said.  _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ I'm sorry too. For everything. We used to be such good friends and I fucked it up. _

**A:** _ I fucked it up too. Not just you. _

**A:** _I want to try and fix it._

**Miss Vanjie:** _ How? _

**A:** _ Come over. I'll show you _

**Miss Vanjie:** _ Okay. I've got to shower and stuff but I'll see you in a couple hours _

**A:** _ See you then _

~~~

Vanjie lay her phone on the nightstand and grabbed some clothes from her closet. As she got ready to take a shower, her head was buzzing with thoughts. She'd woken up alone in her bed, which she figured she deserved after all she'd done over the last few days. Nina and Brooke were sleeping on her couch when she got up. As much as she hated the idea of it, she knew Brooke probably wasn't going to be talking to her very much for a while. Vanjie knew she'd fucked up not only her friendship with Adore but her friendship with Brooke as well. 

After her shower, Vanjie made her way back into the living room. She noticed Brooke and Nina were still sleeping with a sigh. She walked her and shook Brooke until she woke up.

"Wake up, bitch," Vanjie said when Brooke opened her eyes. "I'm going somewhere so I need you and Nina to go."

"Where are you going?" Brooke asked.

"Don't worry about it," Vanjie laughed. "You're relieved of your drunk babysitting duties. I'm awake and fully sober."

"Can we talk about last night?"

Vanjie sighed and stepped into the kitchen. "What is there to talk about? You said we can't keep up our little friends with benefits situation, so it is what it is. I get sad when I'm drunk, but I'm completely fine right now."

"That's a lie," Brooke stood up. "You're not fine. You're just pretending you're mad to hide that you're hurting."

"Stop doing that voodoo witch shit where you read my emotions," Vanjie crossed her arms. "Anyway, it doesn't matter because I'm going over to Adore's house in a few minutes. I'm gonna do exactly what you told me to do… give her a chance."

"You know I will always still want to be your friend no matter what," Brooke sighed as she strode over to Vanjie. "I'm just trying to help you be happy. I don't want you to wait around forever on someone who may never come back to you."

"The reason I don't like it when you say that is because even though I know you're just trying to prepare me for the worst, it just sounds like you're telling me it's never going to happen."

"That's not how it mean it at all," Brooke stopped in front of Vanjie. "I just don't know how else to convince you that there are other people in the world who could give you more."

"I'm still not convinced that's true," Vanjie uncrossed her arms and let them fall to her side. "But after last night I'm at least willing to find out."

"Good. I'm proud of you."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Vanjie sighed. "Can you just get Nina and go?"

Brooke turned her head to look at her sleeping friend. "Yeah. Good luck with Adore," She said. "You deserve to be happy."

~~~

"Last night Brooke told me I need to stop waiting around for him to come back," Vanjie told Adore as they sat on Adore's couch together. "He says I should give you a chance."

"He did?" Adore raised her eyebrows. "What did you think about that?"

"I mean, I was upset at first," Vanjie said. "But I realized he's right. I deserve to be happy in a committed relationship and all Brooke can give me right now is sloppy drunk sex."

Adore couldn't help but laugh. "Not even sober?"

"Nope," Vanjie laughed. "Just full of tequila."

"Let me take you out," Adore placed a hand on Vanjie's arm. "If you decide you don't like me, fine. Just at least let me try."

"Alright," Vanjie turned to Adore with a smile. "But you better do your best because Vanessa Vanjie Isabella Mateo is the  _ biggest _ romantic. She likes to be treated like a queen."

"Then that's exactly what I'll do." Adore gently squeezed Vanjie's arm to reassure her.

~~~

Vanjie let Adore blindfold her so that the location of their date would be a surprise until they got there. She was already impressed with Adore as she hadn't expected Adore to be just as much of a romantic as she was. She realized that she didn't really know what she expected from Adore.

"Okay," Adore's voice came from behind her as they stopped walking. "Now you can look."

Vanjie's blindfold was removed from her eyes and she gasped as she looked around, squinting against the harsh light. As her eyes adjusted, Vanjie realized they were surrounded by millions of roses in an opulent garden. "Oh my God. This is beautiful!” She turned to Adore, smile so wide it was hurting her cheeks “Where are we?"

"Exposition Park's rose garden." Adore moved around to Vanjie's side. "I've been here a few times before on my own and I wanted to show it to you."

"I love it," Vanjie pulled Adore into a tight hug. 

Adore kissed Vanjie's forehead and sighed. "I'm glad."

When Vanjie finally let go, she looked around again in amazement. Every color of rose she'd ever imagined existed was right in front of her -- streaked peach roses and pale yellows and white and deep burgundy and bright pink. It was like a dream.

"Come on," Adore's voice snapped Vanjie out of her thoughts. "Let's walk around and look at all the pretty flowers."

Vanjie smiled brightly and nodded. As they started walking, Vanjie felt Adore takes her hand, their fingers intertwining. She looked at the ground shyly to hide the smile she couldn't contain. The butterflies in her stomach made reminded her of high school.

"Thank you for giving me another chance," Vanjie said. "I don't deserve it after what I did to you."

"I get it," Adore shrugged. "Sometimes getting over an ex can be really hard."

"Being with Brooke wasn't anything like this," Vanjie laughed as she gestured towards all the roses. "Even when we were dating, it was mostly just sex. I mean, I know he loved me, but he's terrible at showing his feelings. And worse at planning dates."

"I hope I'll be better at showing my feelings," Adore gently squeezed Vanjie's hand.

"You already are," Vanjie smiled.

"I know you're new at this,” Adore started gently. “But I'm limiting you to three mentions of your ex on this date." She patted Vanjie’s arm, watched Vanjie press her lips together and nod, holding back laughter. "And that was one of them."

Vanjie held her hand to her chest. "I'm offended you think you can put rules on me. Just kidding, boo. I'll try my best not to mention him again."

~~~

"I wish I didn't have to leave tomorrow." Vanjie sighed as they reached the door of her apartment. 

"I'll see you again soon," Adore assured her. "And I'll probably still be right here in LA when you get back from tour."

"Thank you for today," Vanjie smiled. "It was really nice."

"Anything for you." Adore winked.

They looked into each other's eyes and it was like time stopped for a minute. Vanjie leaned in slowly and pressed her lips against Adore's. Adore wrapped her arms around Vanjie, pulling her closer. Vanjie moved her hands up to rest on Adore's shoulders.

"Goodnight, Adore," Vanjie said as she pulled away and opened the door of her apartment.

"It's Danny," Adore smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Danny," Vanjie extended his arm as if asking for a handshake. "I'm Jose."

Adore laughed, taking Vanjie's hand in her own. "Goodnight, Jose."

They kissed once more before Vanjie headed into her apartment, closing the door behind her. She leaned back against the door for a second. Yesterday she would've never even dreamed of being with anyone other than Brooke, but now... she was glad she'd given Adore a chance. She couldn't wait to see Adore again.

Tags- Adore x Vanessa, Vanjore, Adore Delano, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Just A Little Crush, fluff, angst, canon compliant, Alexandria


	4. After the tour

Vanjie flopped down onto her bed. She'd arrived back in LA earlier that day and wanted to pay Adore a surprise visit. Vanjie wanted to see Adore as soon as she'd gotten off of the plane, but once she'd gotten back to her apartment, she realized she was just too tired.

Vanjie had been gone for two months. She was so exhausted after two months of touring that even though she was excited to see Adore again, she had to catch up on sleep first. Every day that she was gone, she missed Adore more and more. She thought it was nice to finally miss someone who would truly miss her back. Even though they weren't dating yet, Vanjie also knew she didn't have to worry about Adore sleeping with everyone while she was gone. They'd been texting what felt like every second that Vanjie was gone, so she knew she hadn't missed very much going on in Adore's life despite not having been there in person. Vanjie closed her eyes and sleep soon overtook her.

~~~

Vanjie stood at Adore's apartment door the next morning. She was bursting with excitement as she imagined the surprised expression she'd see on Adore's face when she opened the door. Vanjie knocked and waited. Several seconds later, Adore opened the door and gasped in shock.

"Jose!" Adore exclaimed, enveloping her in a hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?"

"I wanted to surprise you," Vanjie smiled brightly.

"I missed you so much," Adore pulled Vanjie into a kiss. "Get in here."

~~~

Vanjie took a moment to notice how Adore had changed since the last time they saw each other. Her hair had gotten longer and was almost touching her shoulders now. Her eyebrows had grown out a bit too. Adore was also a little pale as if she hadn’t been outside much.

"How was it?" Adore asked Vanjie as they sat down at her kitchen table.

"Amazing," Vanjie smiled. "Fans are crazy, but I love them."

"I'm glad you had fun," Adore put her hand on top of Vanjie's. "You excited to be home?"

"Yeah cause I get to see your ass," Vanjie leaned in and softly pressed her lips against Adore's.

Adore laughed, pulling back slightly as she gently squeezed Vanjie's hand. "So...what do you wanna do?"

"I was thinking maybe we could go to the beach," Vanjie suggested. “Get some sun on you.”

"Yeah, that'd be nice," Adore smiled.

~~~

Adore and Vanjie walked out onto the beach together holding hands. In her free hand, Adore held a beach bag which contained their towels and refillable water bottles. Once they found a nice spot, they rolled out towels and sat down. 

"You look hot in a swimsuit." Adore winked, watching Vanjie pull off her shirt.

"I know.” Vanjie smirked. “Now let me see you."

Adore pulled her shirt over her head and threw it into Vanjie's face. Vanjie let out her signature cackle and put the wadded-up tee in the bag. She looked over Adore's body and nodded approvingly, her tongue pressed between her lips.

"Alright," Vanjie said as she stood up. "Let's go get in the water."

They waded into the water together and stopped once Vanjie got about waist deep. Adore played jump rope with the waves and Vanjie tried to do it with her, but she was slightly too short to keep up. One larger wave came by and Vanjie was knocked off-balance when it hit. She nearly went under, but Adore caught her when she stumbled, clutching the smaller queen to her chest. Looking up, Vanjie rested her hands on Adore's shoulders, and soon wrapped her legs around Adore's waist. Adore, still looking down at her, smoothed some of Vanjie’s overgrown locks from her face. Leaning into the touch, Vanjie closed the distance between them, kissing her.

"What was that for?" Adore asked when she pulled away after a minute.

"You saved me," Vanjie smiled and kissed the side of her mouth. "Seemed like a good way to thank you."

"That's cute.” Adore laughed. “But let's back up a little so you don't get knocked down again."

Once Adore got them to where the waves only hit Vanjie at the knee, she felt like it was safe. “C’mere,” said Adore playfully. When Vanjie got within arm’s length, Adore grabbed Vanjie by the hips and threw her into the water.

"You bitch!" Vanjie screamed, splashing at Adore. 

Adore returned the favor, and they splashed back and forth at each other, laughing and squealing the whole time. Vanjie beamed as she took in how happy she was in that moment. She felt as if she were a little kid again just splashing around in the pool. Adore made her feel young and made her forget all of her stress, things coming down the line like upcoming gigs and performances. It was such a nice feeling she started to imagine what their lives could look like if they spent those times together instead of off on their own on opposite sides of the world.

"I don't know about you," A smile lit up Adore's face.  "But I'm getting wrinkly so I'm gonna go lay in the sun a little while."

Vanjie nodded "That sounds good to me." . 

Adore took Vanjie's hand in her own and they made their way back to the shore together. They lay down on their towels, Adore turning towards Vanjie, resting on her elbow.

"Thank you," Adore said in a voice soft with affection. "This has been really fun so far."

Vanjie sat up slightly and kissed her. "You're welcome."

Adore pressed her lips against Vanjie's deepening what had been a PG smooch into something that leaned toward something more private. Vanjie melted into the kiss and let her hands wander. Her hand moved up to tangle her fingers in Adore's long hair, feeling butterflies bat around in her guts at the possibility of strangers on the beach watching them.

"I really like you." Vanjie pulled back, biting her lip. "I think I'm ready... for a relationship -- if that's what you want still."

Adore felt warmth spread, tingling, throughout her body, from her chest to her toes. She let out a sigh of relief. She'd waited to hear that for so long. Adore reached for Vanjie's hand and intertwined their fingers. "Being your boyfriend,” she paused to relish in the word, the perfect feeling of this moment. “It would be an honor."

Vanjie laughed. "Bitch, I'm the one who should be honored and shit. I’ve been a fan of you since before I started drag even."

Adore giggled and pushed her hair back. “So long as you don’t go fanning out on me.”

“Have I yet?” Vanjie held up her hands.

"That's fair," Adore beamed, walking her fingers over toward Vanjie’s leg. "So… will you be my boyfriend?"

"Yes," Vanjie smiled and kissed her. "I would love to."

~~~

"Are you sure you want me to stay?" Adore sat down on Vanjie's couch. They’d just gotten back into their normal clothes after coming back from the beach.

"Yeah," Vanjie sat down beside her. "Gotta make up for all the cuddling I missed while I was gone."

Adore wrapped her arms around Vanjie's waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "We can cuddle all you want as long as you let me be the big spoon."

"We'll see about that when we get in bed," Vanjie laughed. "Nah, you can be the big spoon."

"Where's your dog?" Adore looked around. "Don’t you have a tiny dog? I haven't seen him in a little while."

"Riley is probably in my bed," Vanjie rolled her eyes. "His lazy ass."

"Should we go join him?" Adore asked, poking her shoulders up, ready to sprint to pet her boyfriend’s dog.

Vanjie stood up and took Adore's hands. "We should."

Adore allowed Vanjie to pull her up off of the couch and into the bedroom, Adore bouncing on her feet the whole time. When they reached the doorway, Vanjie spotted Riley in the middle of her bed and let go of Adore's hands.

"There's my baby," Vanjie scooped up the little dog and held him to her chest. She sat down on the bed and pet him as he licked at her face. Adore watched with a smile as she made her way over to the other side of the bed.

"He really loves you," Adore said as she climbed into bed.

"Nah he's like that with everyone," Riley jumped out of Vanjie's lap and ran over to Adore. He attacked Adore with kisses just like he'd done to Vanjie. Adore laughed, petting him and simultaneously trying to move her head out of his way so he wouldn't lick her in the mouth. 

“Riley… chill out…” Adore tried to push him away, but she was too weak from laughing. “Jose, help me… he keeps trying to stick his tongue in my mouth.”

“Trynna edge in on my territory there, boy.” Vanjie pulled Riley away and lay down with him on her chest. "Be a good puppy and just cuddle with me. No more doggie kisses." 

Riley cuddled up to Vanjie and lay his head on her arm. Vanjie stroked his head until he dozed off, letting out little snorts in his sleep. Riley was family to her; it warmed her heart and eased her mind that he seemed to like Adore. Riley had hated a couple of her exes, but she’d never understood at the time.

Adore snaked an arm around Vanjie's waist and kissed her shoulder."I had a lot of fun today," she said softly.

"Me too," Vanjie leaned back against her and placed a hand over Adore's. "I always have fun with you."

"I'm glad," Adore rested her head on Vanjie's shoulder. "It's good to see a smile on your face again."

Vanjie sighed contentedly, her eyes heavy. "I'm glad you were able to put it there." 

Adore yawned and closed her eyes. "Me too. Goodnight, Jose."

"Goodnight, Danny," Vanjie gently squeezed Adore's hand. As she closed her eyes, she realized she was truly happy. After her breakup with Brooke Lynn, almost a distant memory now, she hadn’t thought she'd ever be happy again. She'd finally found happiness and that realization brought a smile to her face and moisture to her eyes as she drifted into sleep.


End file.
